


A Sniper's Story

by LordPerkins



Category: Senjou no Valkyria | Valkyria Chronicles
Genre: F/M, Valkyria Chronicles 4 - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-30
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:15:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 13,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26194735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordPerkins/pseuds/LordPerkins
Summary: The Eastern Front. Thousands of Miles of Imperials and the Edinburgh Army. One Sniper hopes to end the war quickly. Join him and Squad E as they rush for the Imperial Capital.
Relationships: Claude Wallace/Riley Miller, Karen Stewart/OC
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**_The day our hometown burned… That was the day we enlisted. At last, we had something to believe in. something worth fighting for. None of us yet knew-we couldn't foresee-what this war would cost us. It was a battlefield… But it was where we grew up._ ** _-Excerpt from the diary of Lieutenant Claude Wallace, Commander of Squad E, Edinburgh Army, Atlantic Federation_

* * *

The year was 1935 EC, the Second Europa War was in full swing. A lone man stood at the entrance to a Federation base, at first glance, you could be forgiven for thinking there was nothing remarkable about him, he was of average build, average height. When you spoke with him, however, you would find out he was 21 years old, and yet he spoke with such a world-weary tone, suggesting that there was a story to him.

He wasn't waiting for long as Squad E rolled back into base following a successful engagement at Milt. Claude Wallace, the leader of Squad E, noticed him and nodded to Kai Schulen, the leader of Squad E's Snipers, and they both approached. "Lieutenant Wallace, Sergeant Jacob Stewart reporting as ordered, sir!" the man said, identifying himself.

Claude nodded, "At ease Sergeant, you'll find we're a lot more relaxed around here," then he gestured to Jacob's rifle, "As I recall, you are qualified as a Sniper, correct?"

Jacob nodded, "Yes sir, my record for target practice held for some time, at least until the Sergeant-Major here utterly destroyed it."

Kai smirked slightly, but it faded so quickly that Jacob thought that he had imagined it. Regardless, Claude smiled, seeming to not notice, "Perfect, I must report to Lieutenant Victor, but I trust the rest of the squad will welcome you," he said, leaving Jacob with Kai.

Jacob turned to Kai with a smile on his face, "I look forward to working with you ma'am."

Kai nodded and began walking to the rest of the squad. They were milling about the tank when somebody noticed their approach. "Who's the new guy Kai?" one of the Darcsen men asked.

Kai gestured to Jacob and he nodded, "Jacob Stewart, Sergeant of the Federation Army, former Special Infantry Commando and crack shot, you?" he asked.

The Darcsen smirked, "The name's Raz, the best trooper in the Edinburgh Army."

Jacob raised an eyebrow, "I can accomplish in a single bullet that which takes you upwards of thirty…" he challenged.

Before Raz could bite back, a pink blur was seen by all and Jacob felt all the air in his lungs escape while the arms around him didn't allow him to breathe, but also told him who it was. "I'm alright Karen, Imps couldn't keep me down for long." he wheezed.

Karen, the normally unflappable field medic of the squad, didn't hold the tears back as she ran a critical eye over him to assure herself of that fact before burying her head back in his chest. "Command wouldn't tell me what had happened, or even if you were still alive," she finally whispered.

Jacob frowned and wrapped his arms around her, "I'd say that they had the best on it, but you weren't there so that would be a lie."

The squad was stunned that someone would flirt with Karen, she had gained a reputation as a person who didn't care for romance. However, when she smiled, they grew even more surprised. The tank operator, Miles, spoke up, "They know each other?" he asked in a hushed tone.

Kai smirked, "Jacob and Karen Stewart married each other just before her assignment to Squad E and his redeployment to the frontlines."

The rest of the squad looked to her in disbelief. However, she cocked her head and began walking off, giving the couple some space for their reunion in case things got… heated. Thankfully, the rest of the squad followed her and, after walking for a few minutes, she stopped and turned to face the squad's inquisitive looks, "Sergeant Stewart was one of, if not the best snipers in the Federation Army," she remarked, growing slightly introspective before shaking herself out of her reminiscence, "They met after his second mission, as he had taken a shot for his CO and Karen was the operating surgeon. After that, she took to talking to him as that post wasn't the greatest and apparently not very kind to its medics and they grew close, culminating in their marriage a few months later." she finished before smirking, "And as you can see, they are firmly in love."

Aladdin scoffed, "I doubt he's that good, can't be better than you anyways." he remarked.

Kai shook her head, "I'm not that great, just a good rifle in decent hands," she replied before smirked, "Jacob, on the other hand, can pick which eyeball he will send his bullet into at a klick away."

Considering that most of the snipers in the army seemed to struggle to hit the broadside of a barn, from the inside, it wouldn't have taken much to be a good sniper. However, no one could shoot that far and reliably hit something vital. Except for Jacob that is. However, before anyone could say anymore, Claude walked up, "Jacob reuniting with Karen then?" he asked.

Kai nodded and he smiled, "Good, but we've been given our marching orders. Fort Krest lays in our path and it will be the job of Squad E to take it while Squads F and D secure our flanks."

While most of the squad was excited to get out there again, one of the Engineers, Rebecca Longhurst frowned, "Didn't the Imperials put a massive artillery piece there and fortify the dickens out of the fort?"

Kai grimaced, she remembered reading about the fort, "The turrets would fill us with more holes then Gallian Cheese, why is command throwing us at it?" she asked.

Claude sighed, he knew that this would be the shocking bit of news and he really didn't want to give it, but saw no other choice, "Less than a day ago, the Empire formally declared war on Gallia," he said, drawing gasps from the group, "Ghirlandaio has fallen already as have most of the border towns, even getting as far as Bruhl last we heard."

A loud slap was heard and everyone turned to see Jacob and Karen standing behind them, "Don't tell me," Jacob began as his palm remained on his forehead, "General Damon was in charge of the defense of Ghirlandaio."

Claude shrugged, "Probably, but regardless, we have our mission: Take the Fort and open up the path for Operation Northern Cross." he replied.

The rest of the squad cheered, but Jacob shivered, he couldn't help but feel as if this would take a lot out of the squad, and perhaps some of the cheering soldiers wouldn't make it home, a fear shared by his wife and new Commanding Officer. However, they had their orders, and, by hook or by crook, they would see the end of this war.

Or die trying…


	2. Chapter 2

It didn't take long before the Squad reached the fortress. Claude looked at the field before him. The fort was separated from them by a bridge and covered by gun emplacements, making infantry assaults near suicidal and there was no way they would be able to fit the Hafen through the tank traps and barricades. But they would come to that bridge when they crossed it, as Raz said.

Looking at his squad, Claude signalled Raz and Kai to join him on the Hafen. "I'll take Jacob, Nico, Viola, Fleuret and Rebecca and go left, take the rest and go right. We'll meet at the bridge before crossing and go from there."

Raz and Kai nodded before assembling the squad and rushing off to their objective. Looking at the remaining squad members, Claude gestured to the Imperials, "Forwards!"

The first half of the battle went surprisingly smoothly. Jacob quickly showed that his reputation had been well-earned as he took down Imperials while Claude barely had time to register them. The rest of the squad faced somewhat stiffer resistance from their way but managed to stay in one piece and reached the bridge only a few minutes after Claude and his group did. "We need to take those turrets down before we can have a hope of crossing the bridge!" Raz shouted.

Claude frowned, "Sniper Team. Is it possible to take down the operators?"

Jacob looked through his scope, "Possible, but only for probably half of the turrets. The other half are positioned in such a way that makes it next to impossible to see the operator."

Claude sighed, "Do what you can, we're going to have to improvise for the remainder."

A sudden crackling of his radio brought his attention to someone else, someone transmitting on their general channel. "Looks like you could use some help Cinderella."

Raz blinked, ducking behind a barricade, "Cinder-what-now? We're a little busy for fairy-tales!" he retorted.

Claude and Jacob paused, admittedly for separate reasons. Claude was thinking that he recognized the voice, but couldn't place it while Jacob remembered something from his youth. However, before Jacob could place it, Claude responded, "Well, I'd like to go to the ball, but I don't have a pumpkin, much less a carriage."

The voice, female Claude realized, sounded smug in her response, "Well, just let this fairy-godmother work her magic and we'll have you there lickety-split."

Almost as soon as she finished speaking, a sharp whistling was heard by everyone. Jacob's eyes widened in realization, "Heads down! Mortar rounds incoming!" he shouted.

True to his word, the Imperial lines were soon engulfed in explosions. Their turrets were not spared either as most of them were turned into scrap metal, the ones that weren't were taken down by Jacob's rifle after he popped his head back up.

Not seeing any Imperials stand up have that barrage, Claude snapped his head up, "Quickly! Across the bridge and capture that howitzer!"

The squad quickly obeyed, but before they could even cross half the bridge, a deafening explosion came from the fort. At first, everyone was worried that the howitzer was firing, primarily at them. But when there was no whistling from the shell, they began their advance again, this time with a good deal more caution.

When they reached the fort, the source of the explosion soon became apparent, the Imperials had destroyed their howitzer to prevent it from falling into Federation hands. Kai could barely believe what she saw, "They chose Death before Dishonour…"

Jacob nodded, "That is a running theme for them, makes it difficult to dislodge them sometimes."

Miles, on the other hand, could barely contain his excitement, "But our artillery was amazing! Especially with their timing!"

Jacob chuckled, "Laddy, if that had been artillery, we wouldn't be here." he replied before scoffing, "Bastards can't hit the broadside of a barn from the inside."

Miles, and most of the squad as well, was confused, "Then what…"

"It's called a Mortar." the female voice from the radio said, "A magic wand that grants every soldier's wish."

A slap could be heard as Raz yelped in pain. Kai spoke up and clarified the matter for the confused, "Not that sort of wish, Raz."

Raz looked indignant, "I didn't say anything!"

Kai rolled her eyes, "But you were thinking it."

Looking in the direction of the new voice, everyone saw a blond woman walking toward them. Jacob looked at the newcomer and smiled, "Good to see you Cuz,"

The blond women smirked, "Figures I'd find you here, you couldn't stay far from trouble, Jacob."

Claude's eyes widened as he finally recognized the women before him, "Riley?"

Upon the utterance of her name, Riley turned to look at Claude and froze. For a moment, it was as if the world stopped when the two locked eyes. In an instant, their eyes carried the conversation, purveying all that their words could not. His spoke of the empty void her outburst had created inside him, and how all his actions since had been a vain attempt to prove himself to her, to one day be able to stand by her side again. Her eyes spoke of how the fire had terrified her ever since that day, they spoke of the pain she felt after burying her family. What they couldn't tell him, however, was how her relatives in Edinburgh had taken her in, and how they had slowly gotten her to see the light of the world again. How they had gotten her to see and understand that Claude was not to blame for what had happened. But they could tell him one thing. The most important thing of all. They could tell him that she had missed him dearly.

The instant, despite feeling like hours to them, only lasted but a few seconds for everyone else and they were soon treated to the sight of Riley running to Claude and holding him like he would disappear, "Claude," she began, slowly and through tears. "I am so, so sorry. I was stupid, and I was angry, and I don't know how I could ever ask you to forgive me."

Claude, though surprised at her reaction, didn't hold back his own tears, "Riley, it is _I_ who should be begging for your forgiveness. Not the other way around. I rightly lived up to the name you gave me, I _was_ 'Scaredy-Claude' that day."

While Claude and Riley were busy apologising to each other, the squad all looked at Jacob, "You two are related?" Raz asked.

Jacob nodded, "My mother and her father were siblings, it's just that Uncle Al left Edinburgh for Gallia a few years before he met Riley's mother."

Raz shrugged, still a bit confused, "What are they talking about?"

Jacob's face fell, "That's a story for another time maybe. _If_ Riley ever wants to tell it."

The rest of the squad looked at each other, concerned but unsure on how to proceed, but soon, Claude and Riley approached them, "Riley's group will be joining the squad and providing Fire Support for our missions from here on out." he said.

A cheer went up from the squad, happy that they would be getting support from now on, and that a fellow Gallian was joining them as well. Now they just hoped that it would speed up this war significantly…


	3. Chapter 3

With the invasion and subsequent advance of Federation forces into Imperial-held territory, the Edinburgh Army soon felt the increasing strain on their supply lines. Ton after ton of food, fuel, ammunition and other necessities needed to be transported further and further distances by the day, and raiding parties from the remnants of Imperial forces soon made the situation untenable. High command, swayed by the protests of Quartermaster General Arnold Hood, ordered the construction of defensive outposts all along the captured territory to ensure the safety of the supply wagons. Many of these bases, every one of them nicknamed 'Lindbergh Base' by their occupants, would be home to the men and women of the 101st division. Their posting changed weekly, often being sent to whichever outpost was closest to the front, but every time they left camp, they all knew that another 'Lindbergh Base' would await them at the end of their march.

As they entered yet another 'Lindbergh Base', Claude ran a critical eye over the encampment. Over 3000 soldiers would call it home until the front-lines advanced. The amenities the base had been built to include dwarfed anything a regular bivouac could provide, so the troops made the most of their time here. There was a nagging feeling in the back of Claude's mind however as if the comforts of Lindbergh Base was to be robbed from them much sooner than they would expect. Pushing that feeling to the back of his mind, at least for the moment, Claude looked to his squad, "Disperse and set up for the night, though I suspect that we'll be called into action so be ready at a moment's notice."

The squad began to disperse at that, Miles called his attention, "I'll get Hafen parked up then head over to R&D, see what they're working on."

Nodding, Claude made his way over to Jacob, Riley, Karen, Raz and Kai. Raz, naturally, took the opportunity to dig at the brass, "Huh, seems the Brass can actually get things done if they bother getting off their asses."

Jacob grimaced, "I wonder whose arm Quartermaster General Hood had to twist to get this approved. High Command doesn't normally spend this much on bivouacs."

Raz barely heard Jacob's reply as he was busy looking at a pair of people who stuck out like a sore thumb, an older man and a young woman. "Who are those people?"

Everyone turned to where he was pointing and Riley answered, "Naval troops, judging by their uniforms anyway, though what they are doing so far inland is beyond me."

Raz though was looking elsewhere, namely at the female officer "Check out the ass on that one! I'd swab her deck."

The thuds from his facepalming squadmates somehow went unnoticed by him. Kai's fist connecting with his temple however, did not. "How in the world did the army pass you through the psychological evaluation?" she growled before storming off.

Shaking their heads, Jacob, Karen, Claude and Riley left Raz to his own devices, hoping he wouldn't get into too much trouble. After a little bit, Claude turned to the others, "I better head off to the briefing, see if we'll need to head out." he said before turning to Riley, "Talk afterwards?"

Riley simply nodded and, after they shared a look, Claude walked off. Jacob smirked, "Looks like I'm going to be having a little 'chat' will our CO in the near future."

Riley spun quickly to face him, "Jacob! You will not!" she exclaimed before looking pleadingly to Karen, "Help me with your husband!"

Karen smirked, "Why? It'll be good practice for the future if we have any daughters."

Riley began chasing Jacob around the camp, Karen hot on their heels to ensure they didn't get too hurt.

* * *

Unaware of the events unfolding, Claude entered the Command Tent, being only the second person to respond to the call for the squad leaders of the 101st division, only being beat by Minerva Victor, leader of Squad F. A respectful nod passed between both of them. The relationship between the two squads had never been great, not least of which because she expected nothing less than complete and extraordinary success from them. It was understandable when her position as the ranking Lieutenant was considered, but Claude also knew that she also expected that of herself and her squad. She, on the other hand, held a great deal of respect for his skills, foremost of which being his "Wind Whispers" having seen them decide battles, even if it spurred a rivalry between them that was entirely one-sided.

A few minutes passed with no one else arriving. Claude, slightly unnerved, turned to Minerva, "Are we just really early or is there something else going on?"

Minerva frowned, "I'm not sure, though, considering the qualifications of our squads, it _is_ possible that we're having a separate briefing."

Claude grimaced, "I hope whatever it is reveals itself soon. Fog is inbound. And soon."

Minerva closed her eyes for a second, "Do you have an idea of how soon? Perhaps a rough estimate?"

Claude thought for a moment, taking his knowledge of weather patterns and filtering it through what he had noticed throughout the day. "No later than 1600, though it could be as early as an hour from now."

Minerva sighed, "A seven-hour window, that's not great." she muttered before looking back to him, "Do you think it will last long?"

"Potentially, if it starts closer to the evening then I would expect it to last all night and into the morning," he replied.

Minerva grimaced but didn't get a chance to say another word as the Commander walked into the tent. "Apologies for keeping you waiting, but you have a special briefing and a few different objectives to the rest of the Division."

Neither Claude nor Minerva made any comment as he continued, "The nearby town of Riene houses one of the most important hubs for Imperial Communications for the surrounding fifty miles. It'll be your job to secure it so we can continue our attempts to break the Imperial codes and use the hub for our own purposes." he explained as he then looked at them both, "Squad E shall knock on the front door and Squad F shall enter through the back one, or make their own."

Claude looked at Minerva, "Do you think you'll need the grenadiers more than my team or will you be fine without them?"

Minerva thought for a moment, "Potentially, though not as much as you're going to need them." she replied before looking pointedly at him, "You _are_ knocking on the front door after all."

The Commander interjected, "The Imperials have deployed a heavy tank squad to Riene for defence and we are believing that they are using decoys to boost their numbers. Relay the real tank's locations to Fire Support and _try_ to avoid collateral damage."

Nodding, Minerva and Claude walked off to their squads to relay their mission. It didn't take long before they were assembled, though, with the glare that was being directed at Jacob by Riley, Claude was gonna have to find out the story behind that. "Alright, we're to head into Riene and create a distraction for Squad F, our goal is to secure the town and Imperial communication equipment and relay the coordinates of the Imperial Heavy Tank squad in the town to Riley's Grenadiers so they can destroy them."

Raz scoffed, "Figures, I score a hot date with a Navy Babe and we have to go into the field."

Kai narrowed her eyes and slapped the back of his head. "Did you lose your hearing in the last battle? She shot you down, you idiot! _Hard_!"

Claude pinched the bridge of his nose. "Raz, if you get Court-Martialed for your behaviour, I'm not defending you." Turning to the rest, he simply said, "Gear up! We move in twenty minutes! And prepare for Close-Quarters-Combat, the weather is gonna take a turn."

* * *

It didn't take long for the squad to get geared up, but it proved to be a fruitless attempt as the fog rolled in thick and fast. "I can barely see my hand in front of my face," Raz grumbled.

Jacob spun around, "Pipe down! Lest you bring the whole Garrison on us."

Raz muttered something under his breath, but Jacob was already turning away and lept onto the Hafen, "Gonna be damn near impossible to get a shot off sir."

Claude frowned, "Take the scouts around the long way, try and open up the gate. Identify what you can and report back."

Jacob nodded, "Aye sir."

Quickly grabbing the scouts, Jacob rushed around a few side streets, the scouts trying their best to keep pace with him. Much to their surprise, the Imperials didn't notice them until they were on top of each other. However, instead of firefights, Jacob went straight to his fists and knife, leading for the others to follow suit.

Curtis could hardly believe their luck, "How is it this easy?"

Jacob finished neutralizing the Imperial he was dealing with and took a look at their handiwork. "Imperial helmets aren't designed with the best field of view in mind." he simply said, moving off to the next group.

The scouts blinked. Whereas normally Jacob's voice held such warmth and light, now it was cold. Almost mechanical. However, none of them had the time to deal with it since they had to follow him.

On the other side of the gate, Claude began to grow worried. He expected to hear _something_ by now, but all he could hear was the blowing wing. All of a sudden, the front gate flew open. "Hurry up! Imperials are sure to know we're here by now!" Jacob shouted.

Sure enough, the battle was joined. Claude called out to Jacob, "Jacob! How many?"

Jacob fired two shots in rapid succession, something practically unheard of as the sniper rifles used by the Federation Army were single-shot bolt-actions, before responding. "I counted four on our way to the gate and I see one just ahead. There's one last one we need to scout before we make the call to Riley."

Claude nodded, "Squad E! Move out!"

It didn't take long before they had confirmed that they did have six Imperial Heavy Tanks to deal with. However, it was then that they encountered a problem. "Claude! I can't raise Fire Support or Squad F!" Miles called.

Claude blinked. He knew that Riene was a communications hub, he should have known that the Imperials would be able to jam theirs. looking to the skies, something caught his eye. An old signal tower, long since made obsolete with the introduction of radios. At that, an idea struck him. "Jacob," he called out, drawing the attention of the sniper. "See that Signal Tower?"

Jacob nodded, "Aye, you thinking we use it to signal Riley?"

Claude nodded, "Top row should read 715, then use the middle row to give bearing relative to the tower and the bottom row should be distance. Ring the bell five times to catch her attention."

Jacob nodded, "She'll definitely recognize that." he remarked before hopping off the Hafen, "Blackwell, Leach, Berkeley, Bryce, with me, quickly now!"

As the squad split off to conduct the plan, Claude organized the remainder to hold the Imperials off long enough for Fire Support to destroy the tanks. Thankfully, a rapid increase in Imperial causalities made their comrades less eager to advance. Then, all of a sudden, Claude heard a knocking on the side of Hafen. Turning out of his hatch, he was greeted by the sight of Minerva and Squad F joining them, "What in the name of the Valkrur did you do? We excepted to run into at least a token guard, instead, there was nothing until we got close to you!" she shouted.

Claude grimaced, "I wish I knew! Comms were cut though!"

Minerva's eyebrows shot into her hairline, "How are you planning on calling Fire Support then?" she asked.

Before Claude could answer her, the tower's bell was rung five times. A few seconds later, the distinctive whistling of mortar rounds could be heard and explosions soon followed. "Like that." he finally said.

Smirking, Minerva turned back to her squad, "We hold here until all of the tanks are out of action! Christal! Take a group to the Signal Tower to give Squad E some reinforcements!"

After that, it didn't take long before the Imperial tanks were taken out of action. Much to Minerva's and Claude's surprise, the Empire then withdrew rapidly. "Should we pursue?" She asked him.

Claude thought for a moment, "I don't think that would be a good idea. They could be drawing us into a trap and our mission is to secure the equipment here."

Minerva nodded, "I still think this feels odd."

"Agreed," Claude replied. "I will have Squad E here just to be safe. I'll handle the reports." to Minerva's agreement.

* * *

Once Claude finally got out of debriefing, he left straight for his tent and, much to his surprise, he found Miles, Raz and Kai already there. The grim looks on their faces surprised him, "What's up?"

Raz sighed, "Imps rigged the whole town to burn. I'm not sure where they got all that Napalm, but if not for Jacob, they probably would have set it off and the first indication we would have would be the skyline burning."

Claude looked at his maps on his desk. Within a moment, he was engrossed in trying to figure out the Imperial's endgame. Seeing their boss distracted, the three left him, knowing full well that there were only two people who would probably pull him out.

An hour later, Claude rubbed his eyes. He was known to have a habit of working out every possibility in a battle, even the unlikely. And though it wasn't the sort of thing that he needed to worry himself with, he still did it, if only to put himself more at ease. Just then, someone rapped on one of the poles of his tent. "Enter!" He called.

Much to Claude's pleasure, Riley came in. "Hey, you doing okay? You missed dinner."

Claude winced, "Debrief took a bit then I got sucked into work. Sorry about that."

Riley nodded before sitting beside him on his cot. "That's fine, I just got a bit worried that Command was keeping you." she murmured before leaning into him and taking his hand, "July 15th is a few months away," she remarked.

Claude smirked, "Jacob and I knew that you would get the reference to the Starchild festival."

Riley smiled and closed her eyes, "My Grenadiers thought I was crazy, but when our spotters reported destroyed tanks they quickly fell silent."

Claude hummed, before looking at her, "I was surprised you had forgiven me for what happened. And I'm sure the others were too."

Riley winced, "Jacob's parents in Edinburgh took me in after Dad died." she began. "Eventually, some of the more stubborn members of the family finally got me to let go of my anger at you. They made me see that you weren't at fault at all. If anything, you were to praise for making sure that I survived."

After a moment of silence, she looked up at him, "What about you? I couldn't get a straight answer out of Raz or Leena."

Claude winced, and at first, Riley cursed her stupid self, thinking she had dug too deep to fast. However, Claude soon spoke up. "After you left, it became a blur. I don't even know how much time had passed since every day seemed to merge into one," he whispered. "I know that I'd spend my days just staring into the skies and that's when I became so attuned to the weather patterns. But beyond that? I don't remember anything else until I enlisted and started training at the academy."

Riley was shocked at how much damage her young angry self had done to Claude. "I'm amazed you even let me back into your life after what I had done to you." she murmured.

Claude raised an eyebrow, but before he could say how important she was to him, her eyes closed and exhaustion took over for her. Gently smiling and rotating, he eventually got them both under his blanket and joined her in sleep. It wouldn't be until the next morning until either of them woke up, but, for that night, Claude and Riley got the best night of sleep either of them had had for years.


	4. Chapter 4

The remainder of April passed with surprising speed, all things considered. The Federation's push advanced to within 50 miles of the former Imperial Border from the pre-EWI days and the Imperial army's retreat showed little signs of slowing down, and anyone who suggested they might soon turn to face the federated forces in full was laughed out of the room. By the end of the month, Squad E and the rest of the 101st division had made their way to the tip of the spearhead. However, High Command had a rare moment of hesitation rush through their veins as they ordered a full halt to let the army recover and to scout out the planned advance.

Riley walked through the base, looking for Claude. Though they had been the centre of many teasing sessions after the Battle of Riene for leaving the same tent in the morning, neither of them could complain too much as they had felt more refreshed than they had in years. Besides, the commanders either didn't care or didn't know and what they didn't know wouldn't hurt them. "Claude? Where are you?" she called out.

Suddenly, Claude's voice called out. "Under Hafen, Riley!"

Riley ducked her head under the Hafen and saw Claude under an armoured plate working on, if her memory served her correctly, the transmission. "Transmission acting up?"

Claude nodded, "Ever since the last battle it's been a bit touchy. And since we've moved from the flank of the spearhead to the tip, I don't want to suffer a breakdown in the next major battle."

Riley nodded, "I'm surprised Hafen took that mine as well as it did, it looked nasty from my position."

Claude chuckled, "I figured." he murmured. That night Riley had held him as if he would disappear if she relaxed her grip. However, Claude looked to her, "You doing alright?" a look of concern crossed his face.

Riley smiled at him, "Yeah," she replied before taking a seat on the ground, "I don't know how well I could have taken you getting injured then. Or now for that matter. Not when we still have so much time to make up for."

Claude smiled at her, "We'll be fine, and soon we'll be back in Gallia rebuilding the Miller Plant."

Riley smiled before starting to discuss some new shells that she had helped develop for the Grenadiers. A few meters away, Raz sat on a crate of munitions while Kai stood a few steps ahead of him, both of them looking towards where Riley and Claude were talking. "What do you think? Think they're fully over what happened back in the day?" Raz asked.

Kai grimaced, "Perhaps, but they're still trying to figure out where they sit with each other. It has been about ten years or so since they last saw each other."

Raz raised an eyebrow. "Huh… you really think they're that complex?" he asked in reply, with an air of skepticism. When Kai didn't respond, he smirked. "Must be woman's intuition."

"Except I'm a man here. Don't forget it," Kai growled at him, her eyes glaring like a predator ready to pounce.

Raz shook his head. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered before standing back up and walking over to her. "But let's be real here," he began before grabbing Kai's arse, "no man's got an ass this tight," he whispered.

To the casual observer or anyone else for that matter, it wasn't surprising that Kai spun on her heel and socked him in the face, sending him to the ground. Kai shook her hand a few times from the pain, his head harder than she had thought at first. Raz, on the other hand, was indignant. "What the Hell was that for?" he shouted, apparently unaware of the problematic nature of his own actions.

Kai rolled her eyes. "What do you think?" she grumbled, her hand screaming in pain. His head was really thick, in more than the figurative sense.

"Come on! It was just a friendly butt pat between dudes!" Raz spluttered.

A pair of feet appeared near Raz's head. "Having difficulties Ma'am?"

Kai shook her head. "Slapped a block of concrete, probably shouldn't have."

"I'm sure Karen's got some painkillers," Jacob sighed. "You want me to take the block of concrete to lock-up in the mean-time?"

Raz spluttered indignantly, but Kai sighed, "Give him a couple of days and release him in the morning one day." she finally said, raising a hand to stall Raz's betrayed look. "You know damn well that I'm your Superior Officer! And that, considering your actions, you're getting off light. I could file a report and be well within my right to request you be discharged. Dishonourably!"

Jacob nodded and escorted Raz off, a much quieter Raz than anyone in the squad had ever known. Not long after Jacob left Raz in the care of the MPs, Claude approached Jacob. "Jacob, feel up for some scouting in an hour or so?"

Jacob nodded and assembled some of the scouts and a few other members. Leaving the rest of the squad at camp, they went into the forest.

It didn't take long before the spring rain began to fall, and, unfortunately, it wasn't a simple spring shower, but a proper thunderstorm. Jacob looked over at Claude, "This storm's gonna play havoc with comms!" he shouted, barely being heard over the thunder.

Claude nodded, but looked to the others, "An Imperial column was sighted moving through the area! We need to find out where they're heading! Move out!"

Jacob and Claude split off from the others, figuring that they'd cover more ground in small groups. For the most part, they travelled in silence, their focus honing in on the Imperials. However, they soon came upon their target. "Heading eastwards sir." Jacob whispered, a conclusion forming in his mind, "Isn't that towards the massive fortification on the former Imperial Border?"

Claude frowned, "Unfortunately, yes. And I don't see any way for us to stop them from getting there."

Jacob thought for a moment, "What about getting the rest of the division?"

Claude grimaced, "If we could get a transmission through, perhaps."

Jacob set his rifle to the side and made the attempt, but soon he looked back, "Damn, means we'll have to face them when they're behind walls."

* * *

Their rendezvous with the rest of the scouting party and subsequent return to base was quiet. Claude sat in his tent, working at his desk, thinking about all the different ways the mission could have gone wrong. While he had originally wanted to take Raz, hoping to remove him from another potential blow-up, it seemed he had counted on the man keeping his hands to himself. A knock on a tent made Claude drew his attention away from his paperwork. "Come in!" he called, and Jacob stepped through the flab that made his door, closing it behind him and saluting. "At ease, Jacob."

"Thank you, sir," the young man replied, and relaxed. "Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"Granted," Claude answered, and gave a vague wave of his hand as he put down his pen. "What can I do for you?"

"Well, sir..." Jacob started out, looking slightly down as he spoke. "I know this is a bit awkward, but it's about Riley..."

"Ah... I see..."

"I know that it's not my place to say, sir, but if I may; What are your intentions regarding her? With all due respect, of course..."

Claude actually smirked at Jacob's tense nature before standing up, "Of course, she is your little cousin after all." he began. Taking a slight breath, Claude laid it out for the overly concerned man, "By my estimate, the soonest I can buy a ring, assuming we're near a town that will accept Ducats as payment, would be August."

Jacob raised an eyebrow, "A little over a month and you're already thinking of proposal? Forgive me sir, but doesn't that seem a bit sudden?"

Claude chuckled, "Like you and Karen?" he asked. Jacob had the good grace to look slightly embarrassed at his comment. "In truth Jacob, I never fell out of love with Riley. I just had hoped that one day I would be given the opportunity to try and win her affections once more."

Jacob nodded, "I see…" he murmured before taking a breath. "To be honest, if there's one man I'd want in Riley's life, it's you, Claude."

Claude grinned, walking over to Jacob, "Then I'm glad I have your approval Jacob." he replied, offering his hand, which the Sniper took, "Maybe when this war is all over, you and Karen can come to Gallia to visit Riley and me."

Jacob smirked, an idea forming at the back of his mind. "Perhaps." he simply replied before walking out.

Claude chuckled to himself before setting about to his paperwork once more. The war was going well. But Claude could see a potential problem with their supply lines once the snows of winter set in. He just hoped that the Federation's slogan of "Home before Winter" proved true. Otherwise, this war would take a dire turn, one that he wasn't sure they would be able to rebound from.


	5. Chapter 5

The morning of May 3rd came as any normal one. However, in the recently named “Lindbergh Base”, Federation troops hurried about their morning tasks as this day would be anything but normal. At the start of the month, Federation High Command ordered the first assaults on the vaunted “Siegval Line”, the set of fortifications built on the pre-EWI borders. Today, the green light was just given for the 101st division to join the battle.

The mood of the squad was particularly grim. The entire march to the staging area was filled with the sights of hearses and ambulances rushing back to the nearest town. Claude looked towards his subordinates, the people depending on him to take them home.

Some wrote letters. Others were gathering ammunition. A group of soldiers kneeled before Rosetta as she lead them in prayer while those few who had ones they loved were held in each other’s embrace.

They were preparing to die. And in that respect, they weren’t much different from Claude.

“Are you okay?” Riley asked, snapping Claude out of his thoughts.

Claude sighed, “I’m not sure.” he quietly admitted. “I feel like I am likely to be killed in this battle.”

Riley placed her hand on his elbow, drawing his attention solely to her. “You’ll be fine. I doubt that Hafen could be hurt by any of the shells that the Empire have available to them.”

Claude looked down slightly and Riley could see tears start to gather in his eyes. “I still can’t shake this feeling that things are going to start going downhill from here on out.” he murmured. “I want you to know… well, that I love you. Whatever happens…”

Riley wrapped her arms around Claude, “Stop.” Riley said, trying not to break down into tears herself. “We still have years to make up for Claude.” Riley murmured before resting her forehead on his. “If you die out there, I’ll kill you.”

Claude smiled a bit before shutting his eyes and pressing his lips to Riley’s. Riley was quite surprised with the circumstances of their first kiss, but her surprise was outweighed by the bliss she felt. Eventually, and disappointedly for them, they had to break it off for air and Claude did have to go to his briefing. Watching him walk into the command tent, Riley did her best to push Claude’s worries out of her mind, something that was easier said than done. She was probably as worried about him as he was, but where she differed was that she worried about what would happen _if_ he did die in battle and what would happen, not only to the squad but to her as well. However, she soon had to focus on preparing her teams to lend as much fire support as possible. Every shell they lobbed at the Imperials could very well mean that someone comes home on their own two feet rather than a pine box.

* * *

Claude ducked into the command tent and found that he had only been beaten by Minerva, again. However, they were quickly joined by the other section commanders and the divisional commander. Nodding to everyone, the Commander began, “Squads will rotate on an eight-hour shift. The 32nd Armoured Ranger Corps shall lead things off at 1200. Operational Objectives are to get on the other side of the wall, by any means necessary.” here the Commander grew grim, “There is no way to flank the line, we’ve been looking for months. Therefore, a frontal assault is our only option. May God have mercy on us all.”

Claude took a sharp inhale after the Commander’s exit and many of the section leaders left to inform their commands. However, Minerva walked over to him. “Claude,” she whispered, drawing the attention of him. Minerva blinked at what she saw. It looked as if Claude had already been broken by the battle before it had even begun, though she could understand why. “We’ll make it through this. We have to.” she finally said. Her voice filled with a confidence that she did not feel herself.

Claude looked at her, though it may have been more apt to say that he looked _through_ her. When he spoke, it sent chills down her spine. “Theirs not to make reply. Theirs not to reason why. Theirs but to do and die. Into the Valley of Death rode the 600.”

Neither officer said another word. Claude because there was nothing else to say and Minerva because she wasn’t sure how to reply to _that_.

Outside the tent, when Claude rejoined his squad after recollecting himself, a new man snapped to attention. “Lieutenant Wallace. Private Dan Bentley reporting it. I’ll be your APC Driver from here out.”

Claude raised an eyebrow, “We’re finally getting an APC?” he asked, surprised that _now_ of all times, High Command finally grants one of his long-standing requests.

Dan, for his part, just nodded, “Yep, must have some friends with connections, Division Command specifically requested for you guys to get an APC.”

Somehow, Claude suspected, Division Command _hadn’t_ actually made the request, but that a certain redheaded Lieutenant had and no one suspected a thing. Shaking himself out of his mind, Claude looked over the squad and noticed something odd. “Why is Raz limping so weirdly?”

Most of the squad shrugged, but Kai flushed a bit. “Well, he tried to apologize to me for his behaviour recently.”

Claude raised an eyebrow, prompting her to continue. “He really needs to learn to think before he speaks since, as he was apologizing, he also ‘complemented’ my… _assets_.”

The collective groans from the rest of the squad filled in the rest of the story. Though Raz himself finished it. “I’ll admit I deserved it, but you know me, more brawn then brain. I will try to do better, but it may take time.”

Jacob rolled his eyes, but simply remarked, “At least you figured it out.”

Claude nodded and the squad turned and began their march to the front. As Claude looked back at the base from the Hafen’s turret, a dark sense of foreboding came over him but had little time to dwell on it as he turned his mind to the battle at hand.

* * *

As the Federation Soldiers looked across the open ground towards the Seigval line, most of them wondered just how many would pay the price of the mile that separated the Federation lines from the other side of the Imperials’ lines. Even the Commanders who used their tanks to shield their men and the APC drivers would be hard-pressed to keep as many people alive as possible.

Claude quickly assessed the situation and began barking out orders. “I want that APC as full as it can be! Everyone else! Stay behind the Hafen and the APC!”

As the squad began executing his orders, Claude listened to his radio, getting further orders and, from his face, they weren’t good. Jacob was just about to ask when Claude looked up with a grim sort of determination, “Well, who wants to live forever?” he muttered before gritting his teeth and shouting “Forwards!”

As the order came down and the armour began to roll, Nico ran, just like everyone else. What else could they do? Before them stood the greatest defensive structure in Europa, spitefully hiding the horizon from them. The first 100 yards seemed fine, like running through the fields back in Hafen. But then the Siegval line opened its jaws of fury, and suppressive fire began raining down upon them. All around her, dirt and blood flew wildly as soldiers fell. But she couldn't stop. To stop was death. Another 100 yards and she reached a tank trap to hide behind. Looking back in the chaos, she saw Godwin running to join her, an unusual sight in of itself considering the tension between them, but just as he was about to reach safety, he collapsed. A bullet had hit him in the shoulder. Nico wanted to run back, to help them. It wasn't far, only a dozen meters, maybe less. But no. Before she had time to think about it, another bullet had ended Godwin's life. She leaned carefully around her cover and tried to fire off a shot at one of the soldiers on the parapets. It missed.

A few deep breaths. That was all there was time for. Not even a chance to pray before she steeled herself. Claude called out, needing a group to clear some outlying bunkers before they could begin their final assault unto the main wall itself. Nico silently and quickly made her peace with God before fixing a bayonet to her rifle. She didn’t expect to be able to use it, but maybe she’d get lucky and make it to her target. Her survival didn’t even cross her mind.

With a cry that froze the blood of several of her fellows and quite a few of the Imperials as well, Nico charged the bunker. Alone. Rosetta and a few others tried to catch up to her, but she was too fast.

By some divine magic, Nico actually made it to the bunker and broke the door in, but that was where her luck ran out. An Imperial Shocktrooper stood waiting for her just inside the bunker behind a wall. Once she entered, he unloaded his entire magazine into her. Perhaps a small amount of divine magic still lingered for a bullet the Imperial fired struck a grenade Nico threw out to clear the bunker. The resulting explosion sent a chill down Rosetta’s spine and she and her group covered the remaining twenty paces or so in rapid order. A part of her would wish that they hadn’t.

What greeted them was horrific. The Imperial Armour wasn’t yet rated for the grenades that the Federation used, and the Bunker’s crew took one inside their little fortress. But that was hardly the most stomach-churning part of the scene. For in the mess laid Nico. Her legs blown off and barely hanging on to life. Rosetta didn’t need to be trained in medicine to know that Nico wouldn’t survive this and went to her dear friend.

Nico, somewhat lucid, saw Rosetta with concern in her eyes. “Did I… did I do good?” she weakly asked.

Rosetta, through the tears and grief gripping her heart, nodded. “Yes honey, you did good.”

That would be the last thing that Nico Emery would hear as she thereafter faded into death with a small smile on her face. Rosetta wanted to scream at the injustice of it, wanted to cry at such a bright light being snuffed out. But she couldn’t. War waited for no one, and the battle wasn’t even close to being won.

* * *

Bullets whizzed into the ground in rapid succession, but at long last, the remaining members of Squad E made it underneath the guns of the Siegval Line. Karen soon found herself swamped with not only Squad E’s wounded, which was slowly rising in number, but members of other squads found their way to her for battlefield treatment. Even her own husband had gotten nicked and was forced to get a bandage from her before heading back out into the storm. However, she couldn’t dwell long on her concerns for him as others needed her attention.

Squad E made their way along the wall, looking for a breach point and they finally found one: a supply outlet used for the pillboxes in front of the fortifications. However, the Imperial troops were ready for them as anti-tank shells and machine-gun emplacements opened up, forcing the squad to pull back slightly so they weren’t in view of the Imperial guns anymore.

Raz was the first to make his displeasure known. “Dammit! Those Imps are too well dug in!”

Claude grimaced, “We’re gonna need a miracle to breakthrough now.” he muttered.

Suddenly, Claude's radio crackled to life. “Claude!” Riley shouted. “I’m gonna try and clear a path for you and the squad!”

Claude let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks! I’m already down six people!”

While most would have just not spared a second thought about what Claude had just said, Riley wasn’t like most officers and could pick up the undercurrent of self-recrimination in his voice, as he, no doubt, blamed himself for putting them in harm’s way. But Riley couldn’t spare a moment to help Claude out of the pit he was digging for himself just yet. That would have to be something for after the battle.

Running some calculations on a notepad she had, she quickly determined a firing solution for the mortar team and they unloaded round after round into the area. When they stopped, Minerva shouted “Anyone with ammo left after this gets their pay docked. A ducat per bullet left to fire!” and hopped the barricade the Imperials had erected and led the squads into the fray.

The outlet had been cratered heavily and pretty much all of the defenses had been pulverised, leading to the squad and the rest of the Federation’s forces flooding into the gap.

Imperial troops started to fall back to their secondary lines, and Federation commanders began scanning for weak spots to breakthrough. Raz however, had his bloodlust up and wasn’t about to wait another moment. “Alright Imps! Who wants some!” he shouted before running after them.

Claude heard the commotion and saw Raz charge off on his own. “Raz! Get back here!” he shouted.

Unfortunately for Claude, Raz didn't seem to hear him. But considering that some of the other squads much further away had heard him, the most likely explanation was that Raz elected to ignore him.

Kai rushed after him into the raging battle. She wasn’t sure what Raz was to her anymore, but she didn’t intend to have the conversation with his corpse. She found him, rather idiotically and expectedly, out in the open, not using any of the cover near him at all. Biting back the slew of curses on her tongue, she began picking off-targets.

It didn’t take long before Raz realized that someone was helping him, “Hey! I’ve got this well in hand! Do you know how many Imps I’ve killed already?” he shouted.

Kai narrowed her eyes, “And do you realize how many times I’ve had to save your sorry arse!” she snarled. She fired a few more times before continuing on her rant, “One of these days, you’re going to overextend and no one is going to be able to save you and yet we will still try. Why can’t you get it through your thick skull that your actions have consequences!”

Raz growled and turned to face her. However, a shot rang out and what he was going to retort with died on his tongue as Kai fell to the ground as an Imperial sniper lined up the kill shot. Rushing over to her side, firing in the general direction of the sniper all the while, Raz pulled her into cover and began doing what he could to stabilize her while trying _not_ to panic. He was only half successful.

* * *

Claude was thoroughly annoyed at the moment and the side of the Hafen’s turret was looking like a particularly inviting target for his head. First Raz ran off, then Kai ran after him and _now_ Raz had radioed back that Kai had been shot and was bleeding badly. He had just deployed about half of his squad to try and rescue them when Riley spoke up over the radio. “Claude! Tank formation coming for your arse!”

Claude turned his head to face the new threat, though not before he heard Teresa mutter “Isn’t that _her_ job?” into her radio.

Claude bit back the retort on his lips, though it was clear that Jacob felt no such compunction. “LEECH! I didn’t need _that_ image in my head, thank you very much!”

Everyone could practically feel her wince, but their attention was quickly redirected to the more pressing matter. A tank of an unknown model rushed them as light tanks struggled to keep up with the lead tank. Claude spun and looked at what he had left. “Lancers! Knock out the light tanks! Riley! See what you can do about that odd one! I’ll try and get its attention!” he shouted.

Hearing the acknowledgements, Claude ducked back into the Hafen. “Miles! Get us moving and be unpredictable.”

Miles nodded and pressed the accelerator flat against the hull. The battle was joined.

* * *

Jacob was lying prone, separated by some earthwork from the rest of the squad, firing shot after shot in an attempt to cover Raz. He had lost count of how many Imperials he had dropped. As he dug in his pouch for another shot, however, he discovered that he was out of bullets. He cursed the engineers of the GSR for making it take a non-standard ammo caliber, but there were still many more Imperials closing in, and Raz wasn’t returning fire anymore. Though it was impossible to tell why from his current vantage point.

Looking around, he caught sight of an Imperial scout rifle and knew that where there was a rifle, generally, there was ammo nearby. As soon as he found it though, an idea formed in his mind.

Neige looked through her scope and another Imperial fell to her rifle. What Kai saw in Raz to charge after him, she didn’t know, but it caused them to be in the situation and she had to do her best to get as many as she could out of this alive. Just as she was beginning to despair at her remaining ammunition stock, rapid shots rang out from the opposing ridge. The Imperial troops spun around, looking fearfully for something, or at least she imagined that fear was the prevailing emotion amongst their number, it was difficult to tell with the armour.

After a tense moment, where several score of Imperials fell, leading everyone to believe that the Federation had reinforced, Imperial commanders shouted for the retreat. And just in time as shocktroopers from Squad F rushed into the depression and past Raz’s position. Cactus followed hot on their heels and those who could walk made their way to it. Claude and the Hafen arrived not a moment later having fended off the tank assault, if only just, and he looked over what remained of his squad. Everyone was tired and most sat on the ground, those who weren’t looked to be heading that way, not of their own volition.

Minerva walked up to them and took a single look before making up her mind. “Claude. I want you and your squad to head to the rear. Get some sleep.”

Claude looked at her with eyes that reminded her of that morning. “I can continue fighting on foot. Just let me…”

“No Claude.” She interrupted. “If I have to, I can and will order you to the rear.” She replied before looking at Riley. “I’ll leave him in your care Lieutenant Miller. I’ll come by his tent at 0800 tomorrow morning. I expect him to be there.”

Riley nodded before grabbing Claude’s shoulder and dragging him into the APC to catch a ride. However, Minerva wasn’t finished. “Sergeant Stewart. I would recommend that you try to convince your wife to rest. We can handle things from here.”

Jacob just grimaced. “I doubt I’ll be successful ma’am. But I’ll try.”

Minerva winced, having been on the receiving end of one of Karen’s rants before. “Try, but not so hard that she’ll castrate you.”

Jacob laughed. “I think I’m safe on that mark. She _does_ want kids,” he replied before wincing in pain and joined Claude and Riley in the APC.

Minerva watched as the rest of Squad E slowly limped back to base; the slow, deliberate movements selling how worn they had run themselves. Minerva sighed, Claude never realized just how much he inspired the squad specifically and the division in general. His own willingness to put himself in harm's way for the benefit of others while caring for those under him always brought a smile to her, but she now worried just how much he shouldered. The deaths today were going to affect him badly and she just hoped that Riley would be able to help him.

* * *

The rest of the battle lasted throughout the night, but by morning, Minerva walked over to Claude’s tent before rapping on his tent pole. To her surprise, Riley ducked out of the tent first, “Claude will be a minute, I forced him to put on a fresh uniform.” Riley mentioned.

Minerva nodded then raised an eyebrow, “Busy night last night?” she asked nonchalantly.

Riley blinked and blushed before stammering out “Uh… n-no. Why do you ask?”

Minerva rolled her eyes, “Your top is back to front and inside out.”

Riley flushed an even bright shade before ducking back into the tent and reemerging with Claude who got straight to business. “When is our assault?”

Minerva smirked. “Actually, the division is being sent to the rear. Seigval fell early this morning so Command is giving us a month’s rest before sending us back out.”

Claude could barely believe this windfall, but sobered quickly, “What’s the report from the medics?” he asked.

Minerva grimaced, “Squad E has three dead and a dozen wounded, about four of which being serious.” she replied before sighing, “The rest of the division reported similar casualties in their squads, you can sort of see why Command is letting us rest.”

Claude nodded and joined the girls heading to the mess tent. While the fall of the Seigval Line was a great boon for Federation forces, Claude couldn’t help but feel as if they were being let into the house before catching a shotgun blast at close range. Little would he guess that he would be so catastrophically right…


	6. Chapter 6

As the evening of May 21st began, Jacob looked across the camp. They had been in reserve for nearly three weeks now and while a few people were getting restless, most were still just happy that they were able to rest. The deaths of Nico, Godwin and Aladdin were difficult to swallow, even for the former commando, perhaps more so because one of them was a consequence of a rescue of one of their own. Neither he nor Neige, the only remaining snipers not in a command position, had barely said a word to Raz since then, considering it was his fault that they had to go chasing after him and lost Aladdin.

His eyes drifted to where Neige stood. The poor girl had taken it the hardest and had thrown herself into improving with a frightening resolve. Other than Claude and Kai, she only spoke to him and his wife, though he suspected that the reason she spoke to Karen was solely because she was his wife.

Finally, Jacob looked at Riley, and specifically the lack of Claude by her side. He and Raz had been called away for the rest of the day for Raz’s insubordination during the battle.

The pair of arms snaking around his middle brought him out of his mind. “You doing okay, Love?” Karen asked her husband, “You were brooding again.”

Jacob leaned into Karen’s embrace, “Did I tell you how lucky I am to have you?” he murmured.

Karen smirked, “Only when you feel the need to remind me” she answered.

Jacob could hear the unasked question in his wife’s words. “Just worried about Claude. I’ve got a bad feeling about his meeting.”

Karen tightened her grip on him slightly, knowing that he was speaking from experience. She pressed her face to his and tried to smile. “I wouldn’t worry. The brass may be old farts, but Claude’s not a moron. He can tangle with the best of them. I bet he’ll walk through those doors with a new set of bars on his shoulders, just you wait.” She chuckled at her joke, and Jacob could do nothing but follow her lead. After all, what good would worrying do for Claude?

Leaving the matter behind them, they walked into the mess tent for the evening meal, finding most of the squad already there. After they grabbed some food, he joined their squadmates as Karen had to head over to the medical tent, though any hope for a quiet dinner had been quickly dashed as Miles turned to Jacob with a question that had been on his mind for a few weeks now. “So how did you end up with us? I remember you said that you had been a Special Infantry Commando and people don’t just get demoted from SICs to Rangers.”

A dark look settled on Jacob’s face, “Because it was politically advantageous to see me sent from a prestigious military unit to a slightly less prestigious unit to appease the Gallian Official.” he grumbled before leaning back slightly, “Not that I could have interjected if I wanted. I was still in critical condition from the last mission I had been a part of.”

Zaiga was intrigued, “What was that?” he asked.

Jacob sighed, knowing that one way or another the word would get around, though he was surprised the rumour mill hadn’t gotten around to it by now. “Boss took a mission that was far too difficult for us, but success after success inflated his ego. As such, we were sent on an assassination mission against Maximilian, the leader of the Gallian invasion.”

Every ear and pair of eyes were focused on him now and Jacob had a feeling they would be disappointed with him. “His personal woman slaughtered us. I was the only survivor and that was more a product of luck than judgement. The invasion happened a mere two weeks later.”

For the briefest of moments, Jacob wished that Karen or Riley had been in the tent to support him. That moment passed quickly as the many Gallians in the squad rounded on him. For a few precious moments, they limited their outrage to their words. But someone threw the first of what turned to many punches.

It wasn’t until a loud, commanding voice shouted “STOP!” that Jacob could slump to the ground. He was in enough pain that he didn’t hear what was being spoken around him and it was only when two sets of arms lugged him across their shoulders that he began to process things again.

It took him until they reached the medical tent before he was able to recognize his rescuers. “Claude? When did you get back?”

Claude grimaced as he set Jacob on a bed with the help of Riley, “About ten minutes ago.” he replied before looking up, “KAREN!”

The urgency in Claude’s voice, as well as the fact that the tent had been silent before he shouted, drew Karen and a few other medics over to them. Karen held his head while the other medics started bandaging and setting his bones. “Did the squad find out about your last mission?” she asked.

Jacob simply grunted and Claude sighed, “Any idea on when he’ll be up and about again?”

The lead medic grimaced, “A week? Maybe a week and a half, depends on how well his body heals.” she replied.

Jacob snorted, “Was always a fast healer, tenner on a week.”

Karen and Riley smirked, “No bet.” they replied together.

This brought a chuckle to Jacob before he looked at Claude, “So what happened at the tribunal?”

Claude pinched the bride of his nose, “I don’t know how, but somehow the whole thing got turned on me. I’ve been assigned to clerical duties for two weeks.”

Jacob frowned, as did a few of the medics, “That’s odd. Raz was the one who disobeyed orders, not you.”

Claude sighed, “I overheard a few of the officers saying that ‘This was why Gallians shouldn’t be put into command positions.’”

Jacob frowned, “Damn hypocrites, the lot of them. Accept the foreigner’s aid, but shove all blame unto their shoulders if something goes slightly wrong.”

Claude nodded and Riley laid her head on Claude’s chest. It was then that Jacob noticed the glint on her hand, “Claude! You found a ring?”

Claude and Riley smirked, “We were wondering when you’d notice.” He remarked.

Jacob rolled his eyes, “Well excuse me for being a little scatter-brained at the moment.” he retorted. He threw his fist into the air in joy before biting back a dozen swears from the pain it generated.

After settling him back down, Karen looked at the couple, “So when is the big day?”

Claude looked at Riley, “We’re probably going to have it in a few weeks, once Jacob is cleared.” Riley finally said before looking at Jacob, “I’d like for you two to walk me if that’s alright?”

Jacob smiled at her, “I owe it to Uncle Al to stand in for him. You are like my little sister Riley.”

The small group remained together for the night, eagerly discussing wedding plans for Claude and Riley, and discussing lessons from Jacob and Karen’s wedding to take in for them. The one thing they could be certain of was that though they would have to wait for Jacob to heal, it would be well worth the wait.


	7. Chapter 7

Jacob, true to his prediction, took only a week to fully heal. However, considering that much of the squad was still serving punishment for assaulting Jacob, Claude and Riley decided to postpone the wedding for a few more weeks. At least until the squad could be in attendance. The result of this was that Jacob and Claude, already on pleasant terms, became even better friends, to the point where people searching for one would find them in the other’s company, and by extension their better halves’ as well.

The night of August 17th would have been no different, however, since Claude and Riley’s wedding would finally be in the morning, neither the bride nor the groom were with each other, as per tradition. However, Jacob joined Claude for the evening while Karen joined Riley. The two groups on opposite sides of the camp, having an eerily similar conversation. “So how did you and Karen get together?” Claude asked.

Jacob chuckled, “It’s quite the story, but a good one nonetheless.”

Riley looked at her cousin-in-law curiously, “Jacob told me some time ago that you were his Operating Surgeon after one of his missions went sideways. Is that true?”

Karen smiled, “I wasn’t just his Operating Surgeon, but I was the only one to take his case because I was the only one spare.” A moment passed as Karen drew up the memories of those days. “That was nearly two years ago, but even then he was always trying to cheer me up.”

Claude raised an eyebrow, “All that Karen ever told us about her previous post was that it wasn’t that kind to their medics.”

Jacob snorted, “That would be an understatement.” he muttered. “Damn Brass would demand quick turnarounds since we were behind the lines regardless of the seriousness of the injury. Nobody could ever prove anything, but most of my old unit suspected that it was motivated by publicity.”

Riley gasped, “How did you survive those days?” she asked in disbelief.

Karen grimaced, “To this day, I’m not entirely sure what motivated me through those days.” she replied before growing a soft smile, “Though once Jacob arrived the days became quite a good deal more bearable.”

Claude chuckled, “How long did it take you two to become an item?”

Jacob smirked in response, “Well if Karen wouldn’t contradict me, I’d say that I flirted with her as soon as I could form words.” he joked, “But in truth, when she started doing her check-ins with me to help send me back to the front, it became clear to us that there was something there.” he replied before the smirk became a beaming smile, “Though I think the hint got to me when she took me into town the day before my redeployment for some real food beyond our rations and the gruel the medics shoved in front of me.”

Riley had a look of amusement on her face, “You had it for him from your first sight of him, didn’t you?”

Karen flushed, “I will admit that once he started looking more alive than dead I was attracted to him. However, it was only when we went into town together that I admitted to myself that I had fallen for him.”

“What happened after you went back out on deployment?” Claude asked.

Jacob leaned back in his chair, “We kept in touch thanks to the postal service, though I endured quite the ribbing from my old unit about it. Even if I paid it no mind.”

Riley looked at Karen carefully, “I remember Jacob writing to the family that he had gotten married. That was only back in December of ‘34. When did you meet?”

Karen thought for a moment, “We met that September.”

Claude raised an eyebrow, “Married soon?”

Jacob flushed a bit, “No, Karen wasn’t pregnant. Isn’t, even. I thought of it as a matter of ‘Love at True Sight’ myself.”

“Love at True Sight?” Riley asked. “I thought it was ‘Love at First Sight’.”

Karen shrugged, “Jacob believes that the whole ‘Love at First Sight’ thing only happens in stories. But he said that when I entered his life it was like he could see after being blind for so long.”

Claude chuckled “You say to-may-to, I say to-ma-to.” chuckling harder at Jacob perturbed expression. “What about your wedding? That must have had some compromises to what your and Karen’s dream wedding would have looked like.”

Karen sighed, “Very much so. This was long before I met up with Squad E so I didn’t have anyone outside of my family to be there, and even then, it was only mum and dad. No one came for Jacob, though if I recall correctly, there wasn’t much opportunity for it. The Empire was stepping up its Wolfpack attacks at the time.”

Riley winced, the parallels similar, yet at least her wedding would be populated by friends. But Karen spoke up again, “Jacob and I have been discussing the possibility of renewing our vows after this damn war is finished so we can have our dream wedding but that requires the war to finish.”

Claude nodded before looking to his hands, unbeknownst to anyone, Riley was mirroring the posture and both Karen and Jacob noticed. “What is it?” they asked.

Both Riley and Jacob winced, “I guess I’m still dealing with my issues of self-doubt,” they both began, “There’s a part of me that thinks that he/she could do so much better than being with me.”

Karen took Riley’s hand whilst Jacob took Claude’s shoulder, “I had the same feeling the night before my wedding as well. But it was the sight of him/her in the morning that chased away the doubts and brought out the thought that ‘I am the luckiest person alive now.’”

Claude and Riley looked and Jacob and Karen and, through their smiles, conveyed that they understood. “Get some sleep.” Jacob and Karen ordered. “Tomorrow is a big day and you wouldn’t want to fall asleep at the alter.”

Nodding, all parties settled down into a very restful night of sleep.

* * *

When the morning came, everyone gathered a few meters from the base. A makeshift altar stood just at the treeline and in front of it, the Regimental Chaplin stood. A greying man, he looked extremely pleased and though it wasn’t a sad occasion by any stretch, his enthusiasm was quite infectious as even Minerva Victor was seen to be rather excited for things to get underway. 

For his own part, Claude replayed Jacob’s words from the night before as he stood next to the Chaplin in his dress uniform. There was no musical cue for when things happened, it wasn’t needed nor could have happened in any case. After Raz and Kai joined Claude at the altar, everyone stood as Jacob stood on one side of Riley and Karen stood on the other side, escorting her down the makeshift aisle. Embracing both Jacob and Karen at the front row, Riley closed the remaining distance to Claude and they stood together waiting for the Chaplin to speak.

And speak he did. “How strong the bonds of love must be to cast out the hate that has driven countries to war. How strong the bonds of love must be to live after they are shelled day and night. How strong the bonds of love must be to shine bright in a time of darkness. These bonds bind Lieutenant Wallace and Lieutenant Miller together and it is my great pleasure to unite them before God in Holy Matrimony.” he began before looking to the couple. “Claude Wallace, do you take this woman to be your lawfully wedded wife? To be by her side through sickness and health? Through good times and through bad? So long as you both may live?”

Claude nodded, “I do.” he replied.

The Chaplin turned to Riley, “Riley Miller, do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband? To be by his side through sickness and health? Through good times and through bad? So long as you both may live?”

Riley, through the tears in her eyes, nodded, “I do.”

The Chaplin smiled, “Then by the powers vested in me, I do pronounce you to be husband and wife!”

The Chaplin couldn’t say another word as everyone cheered and Claude and Riley shared their first kiss as a married couple. The reception that followed was simple in nature but grand for the couple. They had already decided that neither Raz nor Kai would give the traditional speeches, much to everyone’s relief.

As Jacob looked over the festivities, a smile grew on his face. The festivities reminding him very much of his own wedding, if only different in size. It was also clear to him by the look in his wife’s eyes that he wasn’t the only one who thought so. As Jacob spoke with a few others, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. However, when he looked around, he only saw Karen looking at him.

It was only the next day that Jacob would realize that the look in Karen’s eyes wasn’t nostalgia. It was something else entirely. And neither he nor Karen could walk normally at all the next morning. Though thankfully nobody noticed, or if they did, they didn’t say anything.

The last few weeks of their leave passed much to fast for the newlyweds, but neither time nor history stopped for the whims of men. And the members of Squad E would find themselves thrust into the fulcrum of history.


End file.
